EXCESSIVE BEHAVIORS - AN ARCHIVAL STUDY OF BEHAVIORAL TENDENCIES REPORTED BY 471 PATIENTS ADMITTED TO AN ADDICTION TREATMENT CENTER

We report a factor analytic study of the Promis questionnaires, design ed to evaluate addiction in 16 behavioural areas. Data were taken from the clinical records of 191 men and 281 women admitted to the Promis Recovery Centre for treatment of addictions. Primary scale factor scor es were obtained for each patient and subjected to factor analysis. A two-factor solution (oblique rotation) was indicated. Factor 1 (''Nurt urance'') included Caffeine, Work, Exploitative relationships (submiss ive). Shopping, Exercise, Food bingeing, Food starving and Compulsive helping (dominant and submissive). Factor 2 (''Hedonism'') comprised A lcohol, Nicotine, Recreational Drugs, Gambling, Exploitative relations hips (dominant), Sex and Prescription drugs. Factor I was strongly ass ociated with primary diagnoses of Overeating, Bulimia and Anorexia, an d Factor 2 with Drug problems, and to a lesser extent Alcohol. When co ntrolling for the effects of diagnosis women generally scored high on Nurturance, but were no less Hedonistic than men. Men and women share broadly the same factor structures.